The 2007-2008 financial crisis: Is there evidence of disaster myopia?

The disaster myopia hypothesis is a theoretical argument that may explain why crises are recurrent events. Under very optimistic circumstances, investors disregard any relevant information concerning the increasing degree of risk. This risky behavior may contribute to the formation of a bubble that bursts into a crisis. This paper shows that the 2007 financial crisis exhibits disaster myopia in the banking sector. Moreover, it identifies macro and specific determinant variables in banks' risk taking since the beginning of the years 2000. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.